The Call to Gaiagon: The Roleplay
Introduction There in front of the castle was a young girl with a task to be completed by her hands. She bounded up the front steps carrying the package to be delivered. The building and its parameters in their entireties were visions of imperial majesty. The castle's bright sterling white walls and blue pyramid roofs against the dreary, gray, monotone background of the surrounding forest and village. The pillars and watchtowers marked the edges of the protective wall surrounding the main building. But a large iron wrought gate curbed any further entry in. The girl walked cautiously down the walkway and looked around for anyone who could help her inside. The search was fruitless. It seemed as though the main entryway was abandoned. This did not bode well. She continued until she finally noticed a little lavender note posted against the gate that flapped in the gentle wind of the early morning hours. She gingerly picked it up before it could be let loose and gazed at what the scrawled, all-capitalized letters said, Sigma, In anticipation of your arrival today, I've left the main gate open for you. If there are no guards, do not fret! Most likely, by the time you come, the floor guards will be on break, but our watchtower boys will always have an eye on you. Please come in. However, I request you leave the gate open, for we are expecting another visitor today. Cheers, Balavan To confirm this, the girl looked up to the watchtowers she had noticed before. A dark figure stared down at her and waved in greeting her. The girl did not know who this was, but she could not help but wave back. A bright smile slipped its way onto her face in relief, and she pushed past the gate and headed once more for the main building. Some while later, she had entered the building and then began to walk down the endless corridors to the castle's main room. She knew she had arrived when the sickly-sweet must of ancient tapestry and millennial velvet overcame her. The curtain's drawstrings were held back and the windows let in a rainbow of colors through their stained panes, and the light bathed the main centerpiece of the room: a sole, golden throne that seemed to glisten and glimmer the more it was looked at. It blinded like the sun. Sitting in the majestic seat was an elder man dressed in robes of the ocean and a violet cape of the night draped over his broad shoulders. The crown of amber metal caged two long, flopping rabbit ears that ran down the back of his head. He stroked his off-white facial hair with gloved hands and stared intently at the girl approaching. But the dark man next to him seemed to follow the girl's every move with his eyes of sterling silver. The way he held his hands behind his back and stood tall and erect beside the seated king suggested he was the right-hand man. His untousled ink black hair fell into his line of vision but he still gazed upon the approaching girl with caution. His clothes were obviously not up to par with the elder's, so he was not royalty. But the elegance of his red dress shirt and vest showed he was important enough to stand beside the king. The girl stepped until she was about a foot away from them both and immediately fell onto one knee, on her apron dress, and dipped her blonde head and hair, though she still grasped the three boxes in her hands. "Your Majesty," she uttered softly. Her voice was light and sweet. She couldn't have been older than sixteen. The king rose his hand, and like a puppet, the girl rose to her feet. Then she lifted her head and stared intently into the girl's eyes. Finally, he spoke, and his loud, thunderous voice boomed and reverberated against the spacious room's walls. "There you are, my darling Sigma! Where have you been? We've been waiting all morning for you!" Sigma's cheeks reddened. "I'm terribly sorry, King Balavan." She smiled nonetheless. "Would you believe that our oven broke down this morning, of all days? I had to go to my own house to prepare these for you." "Such dedication!" King Balavan remarked, gesturing for Sigma to step forth. She handed him the packages, curtsied, and returned to her previous position. King Balavan sniffed the boxes and almost seemed to drool immediately. "Well, they certainly smell like they were worth the wait!" Balavan stood up from his throne and stretched his arms and legs, still whilst holding the boxes. "Nothing like some good cinnamon buns in the morning! Hyah!" He then handed the boxes to the dark man beside him. "Upsilon, shall you bring these to the kitchen? And can you please prepare some on a plate for me?" Upsilon stared down at what was in his hands with a look of melancholic envy. He nodded. "Of course, Your Highness." Balavan took off down the runner leading to the door of the throne room. While his back was turned, Sigma approached Upsilon and grasped his hand. She looked up into his eyes and squeezed tightly. "Are you hungry? Sometimes I worry they don't feed you enough while you're on duty." Upsilon showed no emotion, but nodded to her statement. "I will survive." Sigma slipped a round object wrapped in white parchment paper in his vest pocket. It was warm cinnamon bun glistening with white icing and it heated Upsilon's side. The girl giggled under her breath. "Contraband!" she whispered. "Eat it while he's not looking." The dark man looked down at the young girl beside him, and he gave the faintest of closed-mouth smiles to show his gratitude. It was odd for he didn't seem like one who would smile easily. Balavan turned around again and Sigma practically hopped away from her companion. The rabbit king tapped a finger against his chin as he pondered to himself. "Do you have the time, Sigma? Have you left the gate open like I asked?" Sigma nodded. "It's about nine o'clock, and yes, Your Highness." Balavan grinned. "It's okay if you didn't, but thank you. The guest, they're supposed to be coming soon. By the time the guards are finished demolishing the treats you've brought, she should be outside and they can lead her in." Sigma turned her head to the side. "Guest?" "Yes, guest!" Balavan nodded and laughed in childish joy. "A foreign exchange student of sorts." "How exciting! Might I stay to greet the newcomer?" "Yes, of course, you may! In fact, Sigma, you may be a good mentor for the lad. At least, I believe he's a lad? They never told me the gender of said student, but I can only assume." He sighed and looked out the window. "Any minute now, someone from a faraway land will be knocking on our door. We must simply wait." Meanwhile, just outside of the gorgeous white walls was the student in question. Their foreign appearance had attracted much attention back in the town, after all, it wasn't often you saw someone of such a rare species in this country of Gaiagon. The palace before her was so large in size that it was intimidating, the girl felt jitters with every step closer she took towards the gates. This did not go unnoticed by her accompanying companion, an older man who set his hand comfortingly on her shoulder. The girl flinched with a sharp gasp, only to ease her tension once she looked into her mentor's face again. "Elias," she chuckled, "Don't startle me like that! This is really serious, I don't want to mess this up…" The man shrugged and let his hand fall to his side once more. He now took the lead and beckoned her along. "Then you shouldn't keep the king waiting any longer, River. The universe can last forever, but the king cannot. Now come along." Finally, the mentor and apprentice breached through the open gates, the girl'S eyes staring up curiously to the tall watchtowers where she saw the distant sentinels watching down upon the two of them. She kept her hands held together and her shoulders tense after this, struggling not to fidget with her blue quills. Taking a deep, calming breath, she spoke a few soft words. "Elias? Do you think this arrangement is going to work…?" Elias merely smiled, as if amused by her shy hesitance. "It has to work. Gaiagon and Chin-Katei's war ended a hundred years ago. Most everyone has recovered from it by now, and this is a great way to repair relations. After all, River, you remember what I taught you. Our job is to practice and encourage peace." River silenced herself finally, knowing that he was correct, and restrained from speaking her worries for the moment. Finally, the two of them approached the doors of the castle, and entered inside through there. River's eyes opened wide in amazement as she took in the artistic stained glass, old tapestries, and everything else there that had given this place so much personality. There, in the center, the two caught sight of the king sat regally upon his throne, and to his side someone who appeared to be a common girl. Neither of them waved hello, and instead, bowed respectfully before Balavan as their proper greeting. When they lifed their backs, Elias was the first of the two to speak up. "We greet you, King Balavan." Elias politely smiled. He gestured to himself, and then to the girl by his side. "I am Elias, and the exchange student is my own apprentice and niece, River." River did not bow fully this time, and only dipped her head in a shy manner, "I am pleased to meet you, and excited to learn of your culture and customs…" Balavan threw his hands up and sighed exasperatedly. "Aw, what!? The guards didn't let you in? The entrance would've been so much more dramatic had they been there! Can we redo that? Can you go out and come in again with the guards. Guards!" Upsilon moved away from Sigma and stood at the king's side, putting a hand up to assuage his frustration. The kind expression he showed to Sigma was hidden away once more. He lowered his eyelids, furrowed his brows, and settled into his usual stern gaze once more. "It is quite alright, Your Highness. I am sure the travelers are thoroughly wonderstruck by the austerity of your presence alone." Balavan was inconsolable. 'It would've been really freaking cool." Upsilon's tail flicked outward and then straightened. His ears turned toward the two travelers and his gray eyes scanned them, scrutinizing and analyzing their clothes, their mannerisms, their faces. A look of confusion and dismay replaced his cold countenance. "What in the world are they? Where are their ears?" "How crass!" Balavan gasped and frowned at Upsilon as he walked down the runner to get closer to the travelers. "I'm terribly sorry, you two, for the consideration and etiquette that my second-in-command so desperately lacks! We simply don't have many echidnas in Belventia, you see. But therein lies the whole purpose of your venture to our beautiful country. On behalf of all of Gaiagon's citizens, we are very excited to have you two in our midsts. I'm sure we have a lot to learn from your culture, and vice versa. And the others with me..." Balavan gestured in Upsilon's direction, and the dark mink lifted his haughty chin at the attention. "This young man here is Upsilon. He is my knight, and my right-hand man. He oversees all the other guards, and, well, pretty much everyone else here. Forgive him for his lack of cultural sensitivity, but if you need anything, please, he will serve you as he so dilligently serves me." Balavan then gestured to the blonde mink. "And this is Sigma, one of the sweetest girls in Belventia! She was running an errand for me. She works at the bakery in Midtown." Sigma waved, and her lavender eyes glistened in excitement and intrigue. "Hello, Elias and River! Welcome! I hope you've found everything okay since being here?" The blue echidna now gave a polite bow to the blonde girl as well as the dark knight before her. Whether they be king or commoner, she knew to show everyone proper respect. River spoke up on her own once more, "We have enjoyed this country from what we have seen so far. I am pleased to meet you both as well, Upsilon and Sigma. I hope that I can see even more of this country the way you do." Elias was more than glad to see his apprentice practicing her manners, but he knew of course that they couldn't spend all this time of theirs meeting and greeting. With his eyes still locked on the king, he spoke with a confident and yet modest tone, "The high priestess and you have agreed that we will be staying in the palace for this year. If you don't mind, I ask that we settle in with our temporary home." "But of course," Balavan agreed and nodded furiously. "I'm sure you two are weary from the journey arriving here. Please, Upsilon, shall you lead them to their rooms for the time being? Supper will be ready soon, yes?" Upsilon nodded and began to walk toward a corridor east of the throne. He threw his hands up and beckoned for the two echidnas to follow. "If you would please." "Thank you," Elias said with gratitude, and with River by his side, began to follow the path that the knight led. With a last glance back to the king for the ending moment, "We look forward to speaking with you later." With all the greetings aside, River had felt her shoulders drop with more relaxation. She didn't have to feel so tense anymore being in the presence of foreign royalty, and now simply looked ahead of her, towards the leading dark mink. With a small smile, she curiously tried to look into his eyes, but they were most definitely not focused on her. "So... you're a knight? I've read about them before..." she attempted to strike a conversation, "You haven't happened to rescue any princesses lately, have you?" Upsilon pushed back the doors of the corridor. The room narrowed into a long, winding hallway with many doors that one could assume was the living quarters of the castle. As he walked further, his eyes widened in some surprise and he finally looked her way to giver her a critical frown. "I have, actually. How could you tell?" River was shocked to hear that her prediction was actually correct. She had really asked that question in jest, not considering that it was a realistic possibility. She chuckled, "O-Oh, well… I've read some stories, and that's usually a trope of knight characters," the girl explained, "But if you don't mind, if there's any time later, perhaps you could tell me about it?" "I have a feeling I will not be seeing you often," Upsilon muttered in reply. Obviously, he had not gotten River's joke. He swept the hallway now as if he were in more of a hurry. "I am quite busy assisting the king, far too busy to be dealing with trivial affairs such as telling stories." He showed no remorse in brushing off her advance and stopped by a series of two doors. "Your rooms are here." Upsilon sighed. The large windows let in an enormous amount of light, yet he drawn-back curtains cast shadows onto the floor beside him. He began to step away from the two and moved to one of the shadows. Strangely enough, the foot he placed into the shadow seemed to shimmer and disappear. As he stepped further in, he further began to vanish in the shadowy abyss. However, he caught himself before he could go completely and turned to the other two, half his torso completely gone. Where did the rest of the body go? Into the shadows? "Now, it seems to me that a new task to my repertoire includes being a butler of some sort to you two," Upsilon quipped, "So if you require anything, you can simply ring the bell in your rooms and I will attend to your needs. Any questions now before I leave?" At this point it seemed rather clear that Upsilon was not much for friendly conversation. River walked into the room, not continuing with anymore words. While she certainly noticed his rather… odd interaction with the shadows, she was used to seeing this sort of thing at home all the time. Elias was as well. The older echidna waved his hand to dismiss the knight, "Thank you, but… just between us, you don't need to be a servant around River and I. There are many things we can handle ourselves." "Alright," Upsilon nodded, and then he disappeared into the shadows. Sometime Later Not too long after greetings had the two newcomers settled into their rooms and their necessities neatly put away. Elias wiped his brow and now had his attention focused on River, who still seemed entranced and curious about everything that surrounded her in this palace and new country. He merely put his hand on her back and gently pushed her towards the exit, "Come along now, our host has a meal prepared and we shouldn't miss it." "What?" River responded, giving a despondent sigh, "Oh, I thought we were going to explore the city. But… I guess we have a lot of time here. Do you know much about how I should act?" "Act like yourself, that's all you need to know." He assured, as if he were more of a parent than an uncle, "And you know the schedule back home applies here too. I'll arrange time for your meditation and to practice your powers." He looked around the long corridor and sighed, "Now, we just need instruction to wherever dinner is being held…" As if on cue, Upsilon appeared from the same shadow he had left in. He placed his hands on his hips and looked over to Elias and River. "Ah, I see I have come at the right time. I suppose you two are ready to sup?" River yelped and jumped back, absolutely started by his sudden appearance. She then found her jaw too locked to say anything, but Elias on the other hand had absolutely no reaction. He wasn't one to be so easily frightened, certainly not as skittish as the girl. "Yes, we are ready. I hope we haven't kept you and the others waiting to long, have we?" "Not at all," Upsilon assured. The mink seemed to appreciate and admire how calm Elias was compared to River, so he motioned for him and his niece to follow him down the corridor once more. "This is just the time we usually sit down all together anyways. Sadly, the introductions have not ended for you. You will meet all the castle staff." "All of the castle staff?" River questioned even further, raising her brow at this comment, "Just how many people are living and working here?" "Over a hundred," Upsilon answered dryly. "I do not know what species you are, but I am hoping you are all social butterflies. Ha, ha..." "We're echidnas, not butterflies-" River corrected, giving a strange look to the mink as if he had just insulted her. But Elias patted her atop the head nonchalantly. "A social butterfly is only a western figure of speech, do not fret over it." Elias assured, and River silenced herself quickly afterwards. "I'm sure we can take our time meeting everyone. Every person matters after all." Upsilon seemed upset that they had not understood his joke when he tried so hard to be funny. "Of course. I also hope you do not mind if Sigma returns. She will soon be employed here." "Oh really? That sounds great," River brought forth a smile in an attempt to ease some of the tension from being new acquaintances. "I kind of liked her, she seemed nice. Do you know each other well?" "Very," Upsilon nodded as he pushed the door open and entered the throne room. "She taught me what 'friends' are. She knows everyone well. I am sure she will try to befriend you in the coming months." River seemed warmed by the thought of this. She had very few friends back home, and making one here would definitely make this time more enjoyable. "I hope it won't hurt her too much when we have to leave in a year," she sighed, "But even then, I'd be glad to return if this all goes well." Upsilon passed through the other corridor and guided them down another winding hallway. "May I ask why you are staying with us? And why for a year? I am confused." "It's an exchange student program. I'm visiting this place to study and learn more about Gaiagon, more than what most back home know." River explained, meanwhile Elias piped up to add in to that thought. "I'm sure you know about the war a century ago." He inferred to the mink, "While trade has been re-established and ties reconnected, our high priestess figured it would be best to have this as an opportunity to repair relations. The common people still retain distrust towards Gaians…" The dark mink seemed to nod as if he knew this fact already to save face, even though it was likely that this was news to him. "Ah, so you will be returning to your country to assure everyone that we are pure of heart and have no ill intentions? If it is any consolation, I believe the people of the generation the war began in have passed here. You have a clean slate here. Save for the nativists, of course." "Yes, the nativists. Sadly we have quite a few of those at home…" River sighed. Yet, at the same time she seemed rather glad to at least be holding a meaningful conversation with the mink, "If only we could change their minds. But this is a great step forward." "Indeed." He turned into a large, empty doorway. There was another room with white walls and intricate windows that, along with the golden chandelier, spotlighted the elegant granite and stone table in the center. It stretched for many feet and sat many people. Balavan sat at the furthermost seat with a throne just like the one who had in the main throne room. An empty seat beside him, presumably for Upsilon, was being pushed by a girl with long brown hair tied up. She looked to see Upsilon with the guests and smiled widely, yet spoke in a timid voice. "S-Sir Arkanov... you're finally here!" Upsilon completely ignored her and zeroed in on the king as he gestured to them. "Your guests are here, Your Majesty." "Good!" Balavan greeted the two echidnas with a delightful wave. In turn, he gestured to the rest of the people around the table. "We were just discussing the plans we have for you tomorrow!" "Then we have arrived just in time to give our input," Elias smiled, followed by him and River giving a greeting bow to everyone who was already seated. The two of them took their places at the table beside each other. "What did you have in mind for tomorrow?" "We would love it if we could get someone from the castle to show you around the beautiful city!" Balavan suggested with a bright smile. "Not Upsilon, though." Upsilon took his seat next to the king but gave him a quizzical look upon sitting himself down."Eh? Your Majesty, I am more than capable of such a simple task. I humbly question your decision in passing me over?" Balavan chuckled. "You're too formal, son. You'll make Elias and River feel quite awkward, no? Besides, you don't go much elsewhere other than here and home. And tomorrow is your break, remember?" Upsilon frowned and said nothing else, so Balavan turned to Elias to explain. "Upsilon has to switch off some days and leave the castle to take care of his dear mother and sister. He works very hard! I wouldn't want to strain him. His brother will be along tomorrow, but he must keep an eye on castle happenings. Therefore, I deem Sigma to be your guide for tomorrow's tour." A young man farther down the table shot his gloved hand up. He seemed to have the same fur color as Balavan, but a large purple hat sat atop his head despite him being indoors. "Oh! Oh! I volunteer myself to be the guide's assistant! I have to go into town to fetch reagents anyways. And I want to experiment on these exotic foreigners!" "Seconded and approved!" Balavan slammed his fist down on the table and pointed to the man. "But not the experimentation part. Our castle wizard Digby shall be joining you as well! What fun!" River saw this strange, enthusiastic young man, and leaned towards her uncle's side whispering, "Do you know what a wizard is at all?" And for his answer, he simply shook his head. While he may have been knowledgeable, he wasn't living encyclopedia. River knew that now she was going to have to learn this for herself. Politely, she raised her hand to ask a question. "A wizard? What does a wizard do?" Digby wagged his fingers in the air and began to stand up from his seat. "Shall I make a little presentation, Your Highness?" "Dinner and a show would usually be nice, but if they don't know what magic is, it's best not to overwhelm them," Balavan advised. The wizard man sat his rump down and sighed lightly. He gazed over the two and did not pay much attention to Elias. He decided to focus on River and smiled in a dreamlike trance. "Magic is anything your heart desires, realized and manifested in the physical world. And as a wizard, I can perform magic whenever I want. I'll have to show you sometime." River's heart paced faster just a touch. She was already quite interested in this strange man, both confused by his words and yet finding fascination within them. Elias glanced at her for a moment, seeing her wide eyes and a hand on her chest. He rolled his eyes, unimpressed by this possible flirting attempt. "So, in other words, magic is like our powers…" she noted into the conversation, with a brief glance back down to her hands. "However, it's not like we can create anything out of thin air, but Elias and I can do similar." "Ah?" Digby seemed even more interested in the girl now as he leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. "How intriguing. What is it that you two can do?" "It's super easy, I can-!" River started, and had her hands starting to raise, but Elias quickly and gently grasped her wrists, lowering them back down again. "I'm sorry, child. I don't think that right now is the best time to show off to everyone." He warned. Then, he simply proceeded to explain further. "River has control over water, and I have the possession of psychic abilities. It's uncommon among the majority of the people back home, but there are still plenty of others like us." Digby tilted his head up and bit his finger curiously. "Ah. Are you a psychic? Surely, you must show me what you know as well. I dabble in the study of clairvoyance myself!" The girl with brown hair, who was now setting the table before them all with plates and chalices, rolled her eyes. "Knowing what day it'll be tomorrow isn't clairvoyance, Digby," she chided. Digby smirked. "Jealous? Probably more than you can do still." He chuckled, and then looked to River once more with a gleam in his eye. "And you, River... could hypothetically control a river, yes?" Upsilon's expression did not waver at all during this little chat. "Lord, please bring on the food so we will not have to listen to Digby's empty chatter anymore. I would not blame the foreigners if they could not understand his jokes. They did not seem to understand mine." "You made a joke for them?" Hyacinth questioned, startled. She threw a look of envy over to them, but she seemed to channel her jealousy on the back of River's head. "You must really like them, Sir Arkanov, for you to be so playful." Suddenly, Sigma emerged from the doorway. Over her blue overalls was a frilly bubblegum pink apron which was covered in yeast and flower. Her face was red. "I-I'm terribly sorry for the wait, the bread wasn't rising enough, I had to remake all the loaves. Dinner's coming out now... oh, hello, River and Elias!" River waved happily to Sigma, or at least she did her best to replicate the gesture she had seen earlier that day. "Hi! It's nice to see you again, Sigma. I hope everything's alright…" "Perfecto!" Sigma said as women maids flocked into the room with trays of food. "Dinner is ready! I made dessert for everyone too. I hope you all like pake! It's pie and cake... combined!" River smiled in delight, but in the moment she saw that no one was watching, she whispered to Elias once more. "What in the world are either of those things…?" Elias sighed, rubbing his forehead, "Dear, I can't answer everything for you. You need to learn for yourself. Let's just enjoy our time here." The First Full Day The first night the travelers had spent in Belventia had to be followed by the first day. It was mid-morning and Sigma and Digby assumed that River and Elias would be waking at any moment. The blonde mink leaned against the corridor wall and smiled as she watched Digby shake his head wildly and put on his hat. "Are you excited? You don't go out too often. You and Dee are hermits." "Of course I'm excited!" Digby said, "But not simply for going outside. I believe I will enjoy the time with the exotics." Sigma frowned. "They have names." "Yes, but I quite like looking at them," Digby mused, "They're so... interesting. I mean, I had a premonition that they were coming and all, and I have combed the universe to try and see if I could learn their story, but my vision is failing me. I would like to know why that girl and that man were chosen, of all the echidnas of their homeland, to be with us. And us! Of all places. Fate is strange, isn't it?" "Yeah," "Yep." "I heard through the grapevine that you were flirting with River last night." "The grapevine? Hyacinth, that little gossip. And liar. I didn't flirt with her, I was just seriously interested in her abilities. I just met her yesterday. Don't know how far a relationship can progress in that time." "I heard you smiled at her." "So smiling is an indication of a crush then? You smile at Upsilon and me and all the time. Does that mean you're crushing on us?" Sigma chose to not reply to this statement and instead looked to the floor somberly. "I'm concerned for Elias." Digby sighed heavily. "We're going to talk about that other topic later, but you're worried about Stryker coming for him? I don't think it likely. He fits the average age of his victims, but he doesn't know Elias exists. We'll be fine. These guests won't die on our hands, yeah?" "Yeah..." Sigma nodded, but her eyes were glassy and distant for a moment. "When we're out today, let's be careful." Meanwhile, the two guests were already well awake in their room. Elias was sitting upright on his bed, eyes closed, and hands resting on top of each other in the center of his body. River, on the other hand, was much more active than he was. She had just finished dressing, tying the red cloth around her waist. And now, she pulled back her long blue quills and kept a black band around her wrist. "River, you should be meditating," Elias spoke up, finally opening his eyes and giving out a sigh to her. He watched as she finished up her ponytail, and now she looked at herself in the mirror. "After how anxious you were yesterday, you need time to stabilize your emotions again. Don't want you bottling up anything by accident and-" "Explode. Yeah I know the story..." River interrupted, turning her back on the mirror and now leaning against the dresser. She ran a finger through her quills one last time nonchalantly. "It's not quite like that, my apprentice." Elias shook his head in dismay. Sometimes, even after the sixteen years he had spent raising and teaching her, he would feel like she didn't learn much at all. He now stood up off the bed, and slipped on his covering brown shawl. "Disasters happen when our kind have intense emotions, especially for younger ones like yourself. Just keep an eye on how you feel, promise?" River sighed, rolling her eyes as a typical teenager would. But in the end, she smiled, crossing her arms. "I promise." And with that, the two exited their room to greet those awaiting them outside. Sigma jumped up in surprise from their sudden appearance, but Digby kept a straight face and grinned. "I had a feeling you two were coming then. Good morning! Would you like anything to eat before we leave?" "I'd offer Digby's magic to make food, but he's a horrible cook," Sigma laughed, but she seemed a little tenser than yesterday as she spoke. "Hey," Digby frowned. "I'm offended. Anyways, perhaps heading to town would be best. We have so much planned to show you both!" "That sounds great!" River enthused with a little skip in her step and the brightest of smiles on her face. She took a quick check on her uncle, and he remained with an expressionless poker face. Nevertheless, she gestured her hands to her two guides, "Show us everything that there is to see, I can't wait to explore this city!" "What sounds best for you," Digby interrupted suddenly, "the town central, the lake and springs, or the forest? You choose where we journey first, but we'll see it all!" River tapped a finger against her chin in thought, as all of those options sounded absolutely great. She had barely seen any of the town, and while she had seen plenty of forest and bodies of water back home, she had no idea whether this country would be any different. She simply couldn't make up her mind. "Um... I don't know, what would you suggest?" "The forest is a bit dangerous this time of year," Sigma advised, and she smiled gently at River to hide the anxiety she felt. "We can start with the town. We can save the other locations for a later time in your stay here..." River grasped her two hands together, "That sounds perfect then! I'm excited to see everything there is to offer in town. After all, I need to get used to the town, there must be something there that the palace can't offer." "Like more people?" Digby asked with a chuckle. He began to walk forward, but at some point in his stride, his feet lifted away from the floor and he began to float in midair. He turned around to the other two and his cape flew majestically in the wind. He smiled. "Actual fun? The castle is great and all, but the Midtown is where real life is. It's all so exciting!" The girl's mouth opened agape seeing Digby showcase his levitating ability. But even then, she knew in the back of her mind that this likely wasn't even near the extent of his full magical power. "Then show all of it to me! I can't wait to see it!" Digby swung around and lowered himself to grab River's hands and drag her along more quickly down the corridor. "Then you must come along now, put some spring in your step! I want to show you everything!" "But what about your reagents?" Sigma inquired, but Digby was already down the hall with the other foreigner. Sigma laughed softly and looked to Elias. "Erm, I hope you don't mind if he does that, like... if you and River are related at all, and it bugs you? Digby's just really friendly. He means no harm." Elias frowned at Digby, though he kept his posture straight and his eyes stern. He merely crossed his arms. "I know, but he better not pull off anything strange. She's a student after all, not a suitor." "Elias!" River turned her head back towards her uncle, her face already pink with embarrassment. "I'm not going into a date so soon, yeesh…" "Don't speak too soon," Digby winked at River, but he decided to not flare tensions between himself and Elias, so he let go of her hands. "Forgive me, Elias. I'm only trying to be a bit friendly! Holding and grasping hands is commonly a romantic gesture in other countries, but in Gaiagon, it is a sign of friendship and companionship." Elias grumbled under his breath, and slowly pulled River back to his side in a protective manner. The girl was already far too embarrassed by her mentor to even speak up for herself. "I'll take your word for it, but please, nothing further than that, Digby. Anyways, to the town." Midtown After leaving the castle and walking down the white stone steps that led from it, the group of four arrived the town's center. Arranged in a circle were buildings of all colors: dusty rose, mint, sky blue, but none were white. Their gabled roofs were tiled with half-rounds of clay and brick and cast shadows onto the pristine concrete floor that provided refuge from the hot sun. Shops with awnings were the seats for homes one floor up, and iron wrought gates defined the borders of little sections of park and walkway. Cypress trees stood tall at the center of the innermost clearing, within all the other buildings and the four main streets that led off to north, east, south, and west. They slowly curved inward into a spiral shape and led the citizens to a large granite fountain. At the center of the pool of roaring water was a structure in the image of none other than Balavan himself. In the distance was a large mountain surrounding the city, and rapids rushed over into a waterfall. The water fell from the high plateau and convened in a river-like moat that surrounded the city and was visible from the center of Midtown. Little crevices in the concrete below them held streaming lines of said water that traveled in all directions. Digby turned around while he floated and smiled to see River and Elias' reaction. "Eh? Eh? Cool, yeah? This isn't even the best part." Everything, from the colors of the city to the natural grounds it was built upon, brought utter fascination and wonder to River's eyes. They were opened wide and glistening with joy, already she was trying to lead ahead in front of everyone. "This is so cool! There has to be so much more if this is only the first thing you show me, right?" "Yeah!" Digby nodded excitedly. "There are so many other people you need to see and places to meet. Oh, I think I got that wrong..." "Meet?" Sigma asked curiously as she tilted her head. "You had someone in mind?" "Seismo!" Digby cheered. "He's fun! He'll be on his way in from work." Sigma seemed disturbed. "Then I suggest we leave before he gets here." River cocked her head at these words. While she had been entranced by the beautiful architecture and surrounding natural world, the name of this currently unknown stranger piqued even more interest in her. "Excuse me," she politely spoke up, "But who is Seismo? Is he a friend of yours?" "We're great friends!" Digby replied cheerfully. He clapped his hands and a looking glass materialized in thin air. He caught it and began to scan the horizon. "Seismo is Upsilon's brother. He loves girls!" Immediately, Elias was put off by this sentence. He stepped up to Digby's side with his arms crossed in a rather upset manner, glaring off into the distance. "Loves girls? I hope you don't mean in the way I am thinking…" River rolled her eyes again and groaned, "Oh come on, what is with you today? Can't I just meet new people without you being concerned about them? I'm sure he's a good person." "No," Digby said, "He may creep you out at first. Wait, how old are you?" "I'm sixteen years old, why do you ask?" River answered, still not feeling any sort of concern towards the oncoming situation. Digby sighed in relief. "He's nineteen. I would warn him if you were underage before he made any advances." "Advances?!" Elias exclaimed, and immediately pulled River back to his side away from Digby. This was certainly out of character for him, as by most circumstances he wouldn't be acting so protective, but this was different to him now. "That's it, we're letting Sigma lead now. Enough of this nonsense." Digby turned upside down and had his stomach lifted to the air. He shrugged nonchalantly. "Why? You're going to run into Seismo regardless. You can't escape him. He sniffs out new women like a hunter." A figure was approaching the group in the distance and as he neared, his features were more noticeable. His wavy hair hung around now his face and down his back and soft strands down to the teal-colored tips. The broad chest was uncovered unlike his brother's, but he held a deep purple cape in his hands as if he was about to put it over him. He was similar to Upsilon, but his looks were sharper. He had an edge. He spoke with a gruff, husky voice, "Hello, Digby. Sigma." He drew nearer, and tried to recognize Elias and River, but he found he could not. He slowed to a halt and only stared at River. "...?" The two echidnas peered on to this stranger with suspicion. Elias kept himself straight and stern, but was unsure of what to say to the stranger. River on the other hand, was just as naive and friendly as a child. "Hello!" She greeted, and then bowed, "You're Seismo, right? I'm River, and this is Elias. We arrived here yesterday, so…" "A foreigner who's gorgeous and friendly?" Seismo asked playfully. He gave a winning lopsided grin. "Wherever you're from, I'd love to visit." Digby gave Seismo a look as if warning him about Elias, for he stared pointedly at him and then glanced over to the older man. Seismo waved a hand. "What? He's gorgeous too. I wasn't excluding him." Elias wanted to slap his own face when he heard this, just ashamed from being in the presence of this man already. Under normal circumstances, he would have very little problem. Yet, with his young apprentice here… "Oh, thank you so much," River interrupted his thoughts to continue, "I'm an exchange student, from Chin-Katei. It's nice to meet you, and I think you look nice too." "You're pretty cute," Seismo said bluntly as he moved closer to her. "Let's ditch these other two, I can give you a private tour that's way more in-depth than these two could ever provide." Sigma huffed. "No. You have to pick up on Upsilon's duty." Digby slapped his own cheeks. "Duty." "How did I become the most mature one of the bunch?" Sigma asked. She looked to Elias apologetically. "I'm really sorry. I promise not all Gaians are this crude." Elias was dead silent, meanwhile screaming on the inside. He quietly pulled River back away from Seismo, and instead gave a harsh glare to him without a word, just disdain in his eyes. Then, he returned his attention to the other two, ignoring the newcomer entirely, "Come on, I believe there are other places to see and other people to meet." River felt as though she was starting to get used to Elias' behavior, and instead crossed her arms, "I'm sorry about my uncle, he must have not gotten off to a good start today. You can join us if you want to." "I wish I could, but I have to head to the castle now," Seismo said sadly. But he snapped his fingers and cheered up quickly. "But hey, my stupid brother Upsilon will probably be down here with Kestrel before he morphs into the background again. Hang out with him to compare and see how much better looking I am, alright?" "How narcisstic..." Elias grumbled under his breath, unable to bear looking at the man any longer. "Um, sure! I'll keep an eye out for them!" River said joyfully, and gave a wave goodbye to Seismo before he left off. Sigma turned to River. "Again, sorry about him. I don't know if you'd like to see him. Upsilon... is definitely an acquired taste, haha..." The girl didn't seem to mind at all, and strangely enough, rather enjoyed Seismo's presence. But for now, she knew that there were many other things currently at hand. "We can go check up on Upsilon too, I've been a little curious about him since yesterday... I've wanted to ask him something." Sigma beckoned for Digby, Elias and River to follow along with her to continue on their tour and Digby floated next to her. "Oh? What were you going to ask?" River smiled a little, her eyes looking off to the side. "Well, yesterday I spoke to him a bit, and he mentioned to me a story about one of his knightly ventures… but he never told me much of it. I wanted to know all the details…" "Hmm hmm!" Digby seemed interested in this little story so he swooped over to River's side. "Don't you worry, I'm taking you over to the fountains, that cliff with the waterfall. We'll go through the scenic part of town. But you know, that knightly venture he speaks of, he doesn't like to speak of. It was quite sad for him, yeah?" River raised an eyebrow to Digby, suspicious and yet completely confused. "What? But, from what it sounded like, it was a happy ending. I just asked him if he rescued a princess, jokingly of course, and he said yes." Digby smirked. "He fell in love with the princess in a very romantic love story reminiscent of a fairytale. Until she dropped him like a hot potato, of course." Sigma grimaced. "You're a gossip. That's so rude, Digby." "It's not gossip," Digby insisted with a shrug. "It's the truth. 'Cause even though I was cooped up in the castle, I saw it all with my own eyes... through the crystal ball, of course. Besides, he doesn't care if anyone knows." He turned to River. "But because of their little spat, we may be in a bit of a squabble with the country she ruled over. Not so idyllic, eh?" Suddenly, River's innocent curiousity was killed off at this explanation. Awkwardly, she put her hand on the back of her head and stared shamefully down at her feet. "I… I'm so sorry. I won't ask him about it then. How long ago was this? I hope he's recovered since then." "You can ask him about it," Digby said with a shrug, "He hates the girl now, he'd like to talk about it to blow off some steam. It was about a year or two ago." River considered this for a moment, and began to calm herself down a bit. She gave out a light sigh, and now politely had her hands held together in front of her. "Maybe, assuming he gets comfortable around me. I don't want him to feel strange talking about something so personal to a girl he hardly knows." "He seems quite comfortable!" Digby assured. "Usually he ignores anyone not involved in the castle. It's a feat that he spoke to you! Not as if he's gray or anything, he's just stuck-up." River continued to stare down at her feet in thought as they walked along further into town. "I'm surprised actually. Why myself then? It's not like he knows me from somewhere else…" He shrugged. "Some people seem more trustworthy? I don't really know. Your features allow you to seem very kind and understanding? He's a mystery..." "You really think so? Thank you…" River smiled, but it was shy, as she couldn't look him in the eye as she said this. "Come on, let's not waste any more time theorizing." Elias spoke up in a leading tone, "We have to continue with this little tour, don't we?" "Certainly!" Sigma agreed, happy to get on track. They continued to walk until they passed through the town center. This continued for about ten minutes, but after some time, the townspeople came out of their shops and homes to stare at the passersby. They knew Sigma and Digby intimately, but River and Elias were not like them. They sat and stared. With so many eyes leering at the two of them, the master and apprentice instinctively began shortening their proximity, sticking together out of the fear of being watched. River quickly grabbed on to Elias' hand, "Um… is this just another foreigner thing? I didn't think we looked that weird to everyone… do we?" "No offense, but I guess to Gaians you do," Digby said honestly. He shrugged and looked at the others in their eyes to hopefully shame them to look away. "Maybe it's the lack of ears?" River and Elias looked to each other, and then shrugged, their worries already melting away. "That makes sense," the older echidna spoke, his shoulders finally relaxed, "We understand. We truly are an abnormality here, but that doesn't matter." Some of the elder townspeople seemed to cower in fear. Digby noted this and turned to the echidnas. "Some of the people here remember the war... we may need to take a bit of a detour here..." "Hey!" A young woman in the crowd yelled in the direction of the group. Her long black and white hair fell to the floor and flowed as she swung her head to yell and point her finger. "We don't want your kind here..." Digby frowned. "I'm sure she wasn't alive to remember the war. She's just xenophobic then." The crowd began to murmur among itself as if it wasn't riled up by the woman's hate speech. Sigma rolled her eyes. "Ignore her, please. Purist..." Elias kept his eyes straight forward and his stance tall. Such words could not break down his dignity, and he wanted to show that as much as possible. But the girl to his side on the other hand, looked on worriedly at the strange woman, and then surveyed the crowd. The man sighed, "It's alright, River. They're merely ill-informed. That's all." But River still couldn't shake off this fearful feeling, "H-How much further is our next destination again…?" "I'd suggest we go further away from here to avoid ignorant people in the opposite direction," Digby said apologetically. "Ah... forest may be okay." "If you say so…" River nodded in agreement, pulling Elias along faster so that they wouldn't have to be looked down upon in this way any longer. "Lead us through please. All of this attention is a bit unsettling…" Hadgerstaad Forest After an hour of avoiding the general public, the group finally made it to the forest. It was quite dense and littered with all types of trees. They had reached a clearing and the green seemed to curve inward and hide them in a bubble secluded from the rest of the field and the town behind them. Digby continued to walk, however. "Trees are nice and all, but there are some amazing things in these parts. And less people than... back there... I'm sorry about that." "Do not fret over it. I should have expected that sort of treatment," Elias spoke calmly and with understanding. Away from all the townsfolk, he felt more at peace. He gazed around to the threes and green foliage surrounding them, and gave out a sigh. River on the other hand had her shoulders slumped and a hand holding onto her other arm. "I don't understand…" she muttered, "We weren't hurting anyone. Were they just scared? But then again, there was that one woman back there…" "Some may have been surprised by the ears," Sigma guessed, "But others... probably may have been scared, like the elders. They must've been around when the war against Chin-Katei was underway, and maybe they remember some of your people... but you don't look like very violent people at all. Now, that woman was just a racist. Everyone knows it. Don't mind her." River let out a small, sad sigh, and shook her head slowly. "There's many people like that back at home too. They don't take kindly to most western animals, and if it weren't for Elias... I'd probably would have been raised believing that people like you were awful." but then, as she said this, she smiled just enough for others to see, "That's why we have this whole program going on after all. Maybe it could help the situation..." Sigma looked over to River and gave the softest of smiles. "Don't worry, River. They'll see your innocence and kindness and learn to love you like one of our own. But thanks for being the brave one in taking on the role of being in this program. You're like repping your entire country. How were you selected...?" With all of this flattery, River found herself blushing ever so slightly. She giggled for a moment, and put a hand on her cheek. "W-Well, the high priestess saw that I was really advanced in my studies of philosophy and culture, and she wanted me to experience western life for myself…" "That," Elias added on, "And she hopes River's presence will encourage others to act upon peace. For certain echidnas like us, that are raised in temples, we've been taught from birth to never act upon aggression. Back in Chin-Katei, we and others like us are seen as role models. If it could work for them, it has a chance of influencing these people too." "That's beautiful," Sigma said with a gentle smile. "Is there anything specific you've been planning to do in your time here? Already being here to smooth relations over is a huge help..." "Well… not really," River admitted with a sense of bashfulness. "I didn't have any plans other than studying and talking to people when I have to. I haven't planned this out too well in my mind…" Digby piped up, "We can help plan some things for you, if you like. I'm sure you will have other things to do here, like if you get involved with certain groups... muahahah..." "I am sure that my niece is not going to get involved with delinquents," Elias piped up in a louder, grumpier tone. His arms were crossed, "Or whatever it was you were suggesting. She won't be a part of it." "I-I wasn't suggesting delinquency!" Digby laughed nervously. "I meant groups. For example, I know a group of people come out to this forest to help clean up... you know, very benevolent, non-illegal activities like that! Happy ha..." "Then please, next time word your sentence like that," Elias scolded, leaving River rubbing her forehead to her uncle in shame. "It sounds nice," River spoke up, averting her gaze from the other echidna, "We've done things like that back at home. It's actually what we use our powers for." Digby curiously asked, "Really...? What types of things did you do with your powers...?" "Restoration, mostly." River answered with nonchalance, as she supposed this was common knowledge. "As well as purification, and healing. I've practiced my powers mostly by diluting and cleaning bad water…" Suddenly, Sigma and Digby stopped. "You can clean bad water...?" Sigma asked incredulously. "Is it easy...?" River raised an eyebrow at their strange surprised reactions, "It's easy, for me anyways. Elias can't do the same thing I can, he has different healing abilities. We're taught special skills depending on what powers we were given." Sigma was breathless with amazement. "You could save the world... those powers are more amazing than anything we have here..." "Not exactly…" Elias sighed, his mood was definitely not elevated by the astonishment that Sigma was displaying at the moment. "Our powers aren't natural, you see. They can become easily unstable, which is why we teach ourselves to hold back against aggression. Violence leads to stress, and stress leads to loss of control. Not everyone with powers has to deal with this, but for echidnas like River and I, it's a different story." A house appeared in the distance. Dark gray rock crawled up half the wooden walls and the gabled roof hung high over the three-storied house. The windows were open and the deep purple curtains floated listlessly against the exterior walls. The trees seemed to hang back as if they were afraid of what was within the building. Digby smiled to Elias in understanding. "It's a good thing we didn't fight that racist crowd then! I don't want your powers to accidentally hurt or kill someone! Haha! That'd be horrible... oh looky, Upsilon's house!" Neither of the two were very amused by Digby's comment, as they knew that the subject of conversation was no laughing matter. Even River couldn't understand why he would be joking about such a thing. But nevertheless, when they finally arrived at Upsilon's home, the girl let this thought slip out of her mind. "Well, we're here now to check on him. Do you think he minds us visiting?"